Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
What makes the Sun Belt so attractive to new businesses and people that they're all flocking there? And how can cities outside of the Sun Belt emulate them?
Aside from Southern California, the Sunbelt is generally very business firendly. It's basically non-union (right-to-work), low-tax, lightly-regulated, and depending on the industry, states and cities there hand out subsidies like candy at Halloween (though many non-Sunbelt states do this too.)
Individuals like it for the milder climate, lower cost of housing, and growing economy.
Cities outside the Sunbelt cannot and should not try to emulate places there. There isn't a practical way to replicate New Orleans or Houston or Raleigh-Durham or Atlanta, because each one has a unique social, political and economic history anyway. Non Sunbelt cities should build on their own industries and strengths and they'll do OK.
Individuals like it for the milder climate, lower cost of housing, and growing economy.
The overall cleanliness and newness of the Sun Belt are other major draws, IMO. Also, if you enjoy warm-weather activities (e.g., golf, swimming, boating, etc.), the Sun Belt can't be beat.
I've always lived in the sun belt, so I can't say why people might want to move here. But I have traveled up to northern cities on countless occasions and even looked at places to live. So I can give a list as to why I wouldn't want to live there.
1) Apartments are very expensive, and are often in deteriorating shape.
2) Parking in non-existent in most of the cities of there. If it exists it is a commodity and you must pay a lot of money for it.
3) The poverty is very dense. Here in Atlanta there are some really ghetto areas in town but when you drive through those areas the poverty isn't stacked on top of more poverty like you see in Chicago or Philly.
4) Midwest Winters are terrible (I actually don't think North East Winters are so bad. I could handle them). Some years, it will be cold even into June (Chicago 2009. I was there and it was in the 40s. Don't tell me it didn't happen)
5) Taxes maybe? Each state is different when it comes to taxes. Georgia is actually middle of the pack there. Texas has no state income tax but I know its property taxes are through the roof. I think the only sunbelt state with low low low taxes is Florida. But, I support more social services for the poor, so I might be okay with more taxes as long as they help the poor. But I hear that in Chicago that the high taxes get stolen by the big guys in government and don't get distributed to the poor.
6) Someone mentioned this already but everything in the sunbelt is new. Most of the buildings in the neighborhood I live in currently are probably no older than 30 years old. In the North you will probably be living in a place over a hundred years old and it seems like it could fall apart at any second.
Okay. There is my list. Those are just a few things that I as a sunbelt born and raised person notice when I go to the North that I don't really see down here in the Sunbelt.
Now, I'll end this with saying that the north does indeed have several things about it that I love. I haven't ruled out living there at some point in my life. But I would need to move with a very good job already lined up because I would need a place with a parking spot.
We've all been watching House Hunters and we want your big houses for less money. Oh, and we want your sun.
This too! lol. I LOVE the sun. I'm from Florida and just moved to Atlanta early December and the winter actually hasn't been too bad because most days of the week are very sunny. If the sun is out even 30 degree temps don't feel too bad. It was 70 degrees and sunny just two days ago I think.
For my state, it's probably the dryness. I've met a lot of recent transplants from the New England area who say this. We also lack major disasters (unless you're in N. Arizona, wildfires can be rough, across the "Forest belt" as I like to call it), the dust storms or the extreme heat aren't really an issue. Those dust storms, all you have to do is wait 30 minutes or so. I've never been in one longer than an hour. Less risky than a snow storm or an earthquake.
One example here. My roommate from LI said her 4 bedroom 2 bath house was a little more than 3/4 of a million dollars. My 4 bedroom 2 bath, with little to compare in terms of sqft and lot size, was 110k. I know LI is one of the more expensive places in the country, but I know it's not too far off from other Northern places. My roommate freaked out when I told her how much my family paid for my house.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
